In episode 82 of the IoT For All Podcast, Jennifer Ivens, CEO and Founder of Canscan, joins us to talk about the transformative power of IoT in the supply chain. She shares some background on how Canscan is helping companies automate the inspection process using machine learning and IoT, as well as some of the challenges of working in the maritime shipping space.

Jennifer Ivens worked for several years as an analyst for one of the largest ocean carriers in the world. After seeing the problems in tracking and tracing shipping containers, she founded Canscan to utilize leading edge technologies in solving these issues. In 2019, Jennifer won the “Best of Fest” as well as the “Best Onstage Pitch” from the Montreal StartupFest, the first woman to do so.

To start, Jennifer gave us some background on the industry as it currently is, including the scale. 80 percent of everything we buy, Jennifer said, travels in a shipping container either from manufacturing to warehousing or on its way to distribution centers. These containers are difficult to track, often traveling between ships, trains and trucks on their way to their destination, and it can be difficult to determine their condition.

Often, as these containers arrive at ports, a dedicated employee must stand at the dock and count containers, as well as record any damage to them, even when environmental conditions are particularly inhabitable. These inspections include climbing on top of containers and viewing them from all sides to record any holes, damage, or missing locks. Not only is it costly and time-consuming, but it’s also tedious for employees and highly prone to human error.

Canscan tackles this problem by leveraging existing cameras, like security cameras, on-site and applying machine vision algorithms to identify damage or missing locks and dispatching an employee to examine and report the damage. “After two years of accumulated data and experience, our AI is operating above the abilities of a human being,” Jennifer said.

To round out the episode, Jennifer shared some of the challenges working with an industry that has historically been slow to adopt new technology, some of the key drivers for adoption in the space, and some exciting news on the horizon for Canscan.

Interested in connecting with Jennifer? Reach out to her on Linkedin!

About Canscan: Canscan has developed a system, based on artificial intelligence, machine vision and data analytics that uses existing cameras and infrastructure to automatically inspect containers transiting into or through a terminal. Our system will automatically clear containers that are fully compliant and can be safely fast-tracked, whilst isolating non-compliant ones that require your full attention.

Key Questions and Topics from this Episode:

(01:07) Intro to Jennifer

(01:50) Intro to CANSCAN

(07:14) What are some of the unique challenges that come with maritime shipping?

(09:57) What’s your role in the IoT space?

(12:24) Have you found the industry to be slow to change? How have you tackled that?

(14:49) What’s the biggest incentive for companies to adopt this?

(16:03) How has leading edge technology, like IoT and machine learning, changed the supply chain management space?

(19:15) What connectivity technologies does your solution rely on the most? 

(21:29) What are the major blockers for adoption, and what’s currently contributing?

(24:04) What are the biggest hurdles you foresee over the next 12-18 months?

(25:40) How has COVID affected your business?

(26:51) Any news on the horizon?